As Magazine Leather Publishing, we conducted a short interview with AYSAF General Coordinator Mukadder Bozkaya during the second edition of the “Tasarlıyoruz Dericesine” program, held within the scope of the 73rd AYSAF Fair.
Ms. Mukadder, your exhibition is very beautiful. We liked it very much. Throughout the AYSAF fair, we showcased our students. We conducted interviews with them. Now we would like to hear from you as well.
How did the “Tasarlıyoruz Dericesine” journey begin?
Hello everyone… First of all, thank you very much. “Tasarlıyoruz Dericesine” is actually the work of a collective team, it wouldn’t be right to evaluate it as something I created alone. Let me clarify that first.
As the Footwear Sub-Industry Association (AYSAD), the “Tasarlıyoruz Dericesine” is our second event held within the AYSAF Fair, which we organize twice a year and which we held for the seventy-third time this year. This was an idea that suddenly surfaced last year. Our main goal is to develop and process a product that increases in the meat industry but may go to waste if not used, turning it into a high value-added product. This is, in short, the definition of the leather sector.
We realized something here. We noticed that there should be much more design in the leather industry and that university students graduating from institutions providing education in this field could not reach the sector, and that the sector could not find trained personnel. With this goal, we said that during the four-day fair, the sector should reach university students, and university students should reach the sector. And that’s how the idea of “Tasarlıyoruz Dericesine” was born.
This is a selection open entirely to students from high schools, vocational schools, universities, and graduate programs, as well as graduates of the past three years, where leather is the primary focus and no substitute materials are used. This is not a competition, let me clarify that first, because it’s often misunderstood. This is only a project showcase.
Those who want to participate send us their course grades, hand drawings, or collections if they have previously designed them or created them at school. These are evaluated by our distinguished jury panel. During the four-day AYSAF Fair, the selected works remain exhibited, and if there are items that have been transformed into actual products, we also showcase those.
In a way, this is actually a solid network — a two-sided mutual gain where both parties get to know and understand each other. Let me put it that way.
This year, truly beautiful designs were exhibited. Some designs were good enough to be part of a competition. We would like to thank the students.
By the way, as you observed this year, what can be said in general about the focus on leather? … In the footwear industry, leather is used, and at the same time, sub-industry products are also used. In other words, both 100% sustainable products and non-sustainable products are used. What would you like to say about this?
Let me put it this way: personally, I do not categorize products that can substitute leather as leather. Because as I said, these are replaceable materials. Leather is a material that has existed for centuries alongside the existence of humanity. It has a texture, a story, a narrative.
You can enrich it even further. Unfortunately, especially after the pandemic, due to people changing their habits and trends, leather has been somewhat pushed aside. Certain trendsetters contributed to this, suggesting that leather is not environmentally friendly or that animals are killed for their hides — claims which, in my opinion, hold no real validity. As a result, there has been a growing antipathy toward leather. Yet leather is a material used by kings, sultans, or anyone wanting to feel different, appearing everywhere in our daily lives. If we don’t use it, the rest of the meat industry continues. In that case, hides of animals slaughtered in slaughterhouses become waste. And these wastes are what actually create environmental disasters — they would either bury them, burn them, or destroy them in some way. But we take them, process them, and turn them into a high value-added product. When you look at it this way, we are actually part of the recycling sector.
A large majority of our students enriched these materials so beautifully that — especially in this period and the previous “Tasarlıyoruz Dericesine” event — one of our friends received full marks from the jury with a shoe they designed. During this period as well, one of our students from Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Fine Arts, Textile Fashion Design Accessories major, received full marks from the jury with a collection work named KOI.
But again I emphasize, this is not a competition. Competitions have one first place winner and one second place winner. But I have seventeen first-place winners. Last year, I also had seventeen first-place winners. In that sense, I prefer to use this as a network rather than a competition.
Regarding what you mentioned about leather being waste — what we mean is the usage phase of leather. We definitely agree. As the name of the program indicates, “Tasarlıyoruz Dericesine,” your main theme here is to highlight leather. Using leather, encouraging leather — that is ultimately our…
Yes, our starting point is to make leather recognizable again, to remove it from its traditional perception and integrate it more into daily life.
Look, in the past, leather was something unreachable because it was considered a luxury category. But today, there are leather cases for your mobile phones, watch straps, laptop sleeves — all made with leather.
In other words, we must expand the areas where leather is used; it is even used in decoration now. Leather must be removed from the luxury category.
In previous years, we held some events. In one of our “AYSAF TALKS” events, one of our colleagues compared leather with two substitute materials — “VEGAN” and “ARTIFICIAL” — as part of their graduate thesis.
Let me summarize: the materials used in leather, the processing methods, and the chemicals involved allow leather to biodegrade within a human lifetime. However, for materials labeled as “ARTIFICIAL” or “VEGAN,” which contain a high percentage of petroleum derivatives, the recycling process unfortunately exceeds the human lifespan.
Sorry to interrupt, but I want to add something; they call it “VEGAN leather.” It should not be called “VEGAN leather,” it is not a 100% sustainable leather at all…
If I remember correctly, Brazil, Italy, Portugal, Denmark, Belgium, and I believe most recently Japan have removed the word “leather” from being used with “VEGAN” and “ARTIFICIAL.” In other words, just like us, they no longer use the terms artificial leather or vegan leather. They protect the term “leather.”
We actually need to do this. This term must be protected. Because it is truly not an explanatory term. In the production and use of leather, there is incredible craftsmanship, mastery, and labor involved. You also research this like I do — we dive into it passionately.
In the past, for example, pilgrims would exchange money with workers at tanneries — known today as tabakhane workers. They believed their money would become “halal” money that way. We come from such a sacred and traditional profession. But the replacement of such a craft with substitutes, honestly, as a leather lover and someone who has been in this sector for thirty-six years, disturbs me a great deal.
As a final question, again about leather: will leather someday run out?
Human biology is designed for protein breakdown. Our primary source of nutrition is meat, so we have no chance of eliminating leather.
Let me add this: no mother would feed her child artificial milk, nor artificial cheese. Naturally, we will always benefit from animals. Leather, in my opinion, will not disappear.
Thank you very much for organizing this event.
I thank you, and I wish success to all of us.
I hope this exhibition continues and becomes an international organization.
It will continue, hopefully — that is my only wish, thank you.
Thank you, thank you very much.
